At the beginning of this year, I embarked on a new routine inspired by an article on gratitude. The author suggested that practicing gratitude is a tool for a happier life, and though I already considered my life quite wonderful, I’m always open to improvements. As my daughter often jokes, “Dad, you are a robot.” But why shouldn’t a robot be capable of leading a happy life?

Being the “robot” that I am, everything in my life has to be systematically implemented. So, I scheduled a weekly repeating event in my electronic calendar with the poetic name ‘Weekly Self-De-briefing,’ every Sunday afternoon. While experts on gratitude (if there are any) might be rolling their eyes, this practice has proven effective for me.

Each Sunday, I find a quiet place, whether in our house or elsewhere, sit down, and take a pause. With closed eyes, I reflect on the past week, asking myself a series of questions: How was it? What were the highlights? What did I achieve? What am I grateful for? Whom did I meet? Was there any adventure (as you know, adventure is important to me)? What didn’t work out well? Could anything have been done differently? How do I feel about the week and life in general? Is there anything missing? Then, I open my phone and review the past week’s events in the calendar to ensure I haven’t overlooked anything.

For instance, this year, I started writing a book, a long-overdue endeavor. I check in with myself every week: How is the writing going? Am I enjoying it? How much have I written? Do I feel grateful for the opportunity and time to write, or do I feel disappointed about not writing enough?

This practice has proven to be enjoyable, bringing a smile to my face while recollecting funny or wonderful events and prompting me to contemplate things I didn’t like and why.

The results? I’m not entirely sure, to be honest! 🙂 However, I do feel better connected with myself and my surroundings, able to maintain a positive outlook most of the time and reflect when something doesn’t feel right. Sometimes, I jot down my observations or feelings to revisit them in the future.

Do you have a similar way of reconnecting with your body and mind, of taking a pause to review your life?

This brings me to the idea of looking back at the whole year. How was this year for you? Sometimes, it’s not easy to recall everything, and the best way that occurs to me is to look at the pictures I took. New Year celebration at Gili Asahan. Life in Bali going on. Our son out of the house studying in the UK. Two big birthdays of best friends with wild parties and a trip around the island on motorbikes. Raja Ampat with all the amazing fish and corals.

Started working with Glice, another adventure for sure. Endless days with video calls starting at 8:00am, finishing at midnight. Lots of fun and lots of challenges too. Mancave trip to Lombok, another level, great discussions and camaraderie. Climbing Mt. Batukaru. Business meetings and then trekking with one of the best friends in Rocky Mountain National Park. Summer in Europe, amazing motorbike trip with Petr around Czech countryside. Portugal visit, one of the best, thank you my dear friends for letting us occupy your house and also joining us in exploring Lisbon. Colors of Ostrava, first time ever, with the kids that are not kids any longer.

Cave exploration with my mom and daughter in Moravia. A couple of weeks with our son in Cornwall, beautiful landscapes there, swimming in the cold ocean but lots of challenges too for him as well as his dad. A trip around Europe by train on my own, it was great! Back to Dubai for a week together with our daughter and seeing all the good friends there. Teaching freediving which brings me lots of joy and also allows me to meet interesting people. One of our cats died, RIP. Scuba diving with #pokladfilm crew, providing diving safety to the actors including Jirka Langmajer, another great experience & hard work. Walking our dogs together with my love. Movie nights with friends and family, His Dark Materials are definitely worth watching.

What a ride again! As I reflect on this past year, I am grateful to my family for providing the freedom for my adventures and to all my wonderful friends who share these adventures with me.

How was your year? Take a moment to look at your pictures. How do you feel about your life? What are you grateful for?

PS: Albeit this text was written by me, I enjoyed our cooperation with Chat-GPT which edited and improved my poor original writing.